Underwater view ports have been used on ships, boats or other watercraft for decorative and safety purposes as well as to aid exploration of the surrounding water. Similarly, lighting has been applied to these same watercraft to improve visibility during the dark hours or during periods of overcast or cloudy conditions. Lights have been applied so as to illuminate the sides of the watercraft in order to better visualize the watercraft from a distance, to further enhance the appearance of the watercraft, and to illuminate the surrounding water area. Lights have been mounted in various locations on the deck or hull of the watercraft to accomplish this purpose.
Conventional view ports use a frame to mount a substantially transparent window to the hull. Smaller view ports have used a single piece thru-hull having a mechanically or chemically fastened window inside the thru-hull fitting.
Thru-hull mounted lights are often in the form of light strips composed of a string of high intensity light bulbs contained within a housing or a plurality of individual lights within a housing applied externally along the perimeter of the hull and oriented to shine downwards along the side of the hull. Various applications of the housings and light shields are used to redirect the light rays from the light source downward along the surface of the hull (including the ability to adjust the housings in order to project beams along a desired path). Although such configurations provide substantial illumination of the hull sides, they are not waterproof or watertight and therefore are placed substantially higher than the waterline. Therefore, little to no illumination of the surrounding water area is provided as the light intensity fades considerably from the light source as it reaches the waterline. Furthermore, because the light rays are directed downward along the surface of the hull, illumination is restricted primarily to the line of the watercraft. Therefore, the light rays do not deviate outward into the surrounding water and may be easily obstructed by other accessories attached to the hull sides of the watercraft that are closer to the waterline. Also, lights mounted on the exterior of the boat often require replacement and repair from outside the boat rather than from the inside of the boat which is usually fairly cumbersome.
In order to better project the light onto the surface of the water from a light source placed above the waterline, the lights have been extended outward such that they are spaced away from the sides of the hull surface. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,149 discloses a utility light apparatus that is mounted on the gunwale of a boat by applying the light to the distal end of a conventional fishing rod holder such that the light extends out over the side of the boat in an arm-like fashion. Therefore, the extended light pathway illuminates more of the water's surface and is less likely to be obstructed by other appurtenances placed on the side of the boat. However, unless the height of the boat is relatively shallow, the depth to which the light penetrates the water is still very limited by the light intensity as the light source is placed well above the waterline at the gunwale of the boat. Thus, the conventional hull or deck mounted lights do not provide sufficient lighting for visualizing harmful objects within the path of the watercraft or exploring the water around and below the watercraft. Furthermore, lights extending outward from the surface of the boat are easily damaged in comparison to lights which are integrated into the surface area of the boat such that they are only slightly protruding or not protruding at all.
More recently, lights have been integrated into the hull surface area of a watercraft by placing the lights into the thru-hull fittings of the hull thereby providing a watertight lighting apparatus which may be positioned below the waterline in order to significantly improve visualization of the surrounding water area and to enhance the aesthetics of the boat. Also, by placing the light assembly inside a thru-hull, replacement or repair can be done from the inside of the boat where access is normally much simpler than from outside the boat. Typically, a light bulb or lamp-supporting means is placed inside the thru-hull from inside the boat and a secured lens is placed between the lamp and the exterior opening of the thru-hull such that the light passes through the lens and into the water. The light bulb or lamp-supporting means is surrounded by a housing that is either cylindrical for secure fit against the sides of the thru-hull or is a conical, tapered piece which narrows towards the interior of the boat. A flange placed flush against the outside surface of the thru-hull and one or a series of O-rings or watertight sealants or adhesives are used to provide a watertight seal between the lens and the exterior opening of the thru-hull. The exterior flange is usually cast as one piece with a housing that penetrates the hull. The single casting then requires considerable machining to allow for placement of lenses and accessories which make use of the view port. Alternative constructs include manufacture of the housing and flange in two pieces which are then welded together. Welded configurations have the drawback in that if identical materials are not used, welding is difficult and the integrity of the weld may be suspect when used in an underwater environment where failure could be catastrophic.
The flange may be formed with the light housing as one piece or may be separate from the housing such that it is removably attached to the side of the hull by screws that are screwed into holes bored into the hull surface or by snapping it into place.
Furthermore, current thru-hull light configurations greatly restrict the useful ability to change the beam angle at which the light passes through the lens and into the water after the initial installation of the light housing within the thru-hull. The light bulb or lamp-supporting means is usually secured tightly to the housing such that the angle of the light can only be altered by dislodging the entire housing from the inside of the thru-hull and reinstalling the housing at a different angle. There usually lacks the space within the thru-hull to install the entire light housing at an angle as the light housing is usually sized to fit snuggly against the interior walls of the thru-hull for a watertight fit. The flange or other watertight means at the exterior of the thru-hull usually restricts the light housing to a single orientation against the boat thereby precluding alteration of the angle altogether. Hull or transom lights that include means for adjusting the light angle with respect to the light housing, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,245,281, 4,360,859, and 4,445,163, consist generally of a fixed light retaining member with a spherical or arcuate surface which mates with the spherical or arcuate surface of the light shield member such that the light shield member swivels with respect to the light retaining member. Either tightening screws or compressible materials (e.g. rubber) are required to maintain the adjusted angle in such configurations. Resilient retaining clips or several pivot-mounted brackets are also used in swivel lighting fixtures found in different applications. The use of compressible or resilient materials lacks the benefit of using metals which greatly increase the valuable heat dissipation characteristics of an underwater lighting device. Furthermore, multiple brackets and screws are ill-suited for use in the compact space of a thru-hull where there is limited access to the adjusting device.
It is also desirable to form the light housing and the flange from two different types of metals in order to obtain the highest heat dissipating light housing on the interior of the hull and the most anti-corrosive flange on the exterior of the hull where the assembly comes into contact with the water. A one-piece configuration limits the entire assembly to one type of metal. Even where the flange and light housing are welded together, there are many metals which cannot be welded tightly to one another. Where the flange must be attached to the hull by screws, several screw-holes must be bored into the hull thereby damaging the hull surface and providing additional inlets where water moisture can create damage. Where the flange is snapped into place, it is difficult to obtain a substantially watertight seal between the flange, lens and the exterior opening of the thru-hull.
It is an object of this invention to provide a two-piece thru-hull light in which the flange and light housing are two separate pieces such that numerous combinations of metals may be used for their construction in order to provide a highly efficient assembly. Furthermore, the flange has a threaded surface which is screwed into the exterior surface of a cylindrical light housing thereby not damaging the hull surface and providing a substantially watertight seal.
It is also an object of this invention to secure the lighting apparatus to the hull in such a way that the hull is not damaged. The flange is comprised of a mushroom-head shaped portion that is placed flush against the exterior surface of the hull opening. On the interior side of the hull opening, a compression ring surrounding the exterior surface of the light housing is compressed against the hull's interior surface by a threaded locking ring thereby securing the hull between the flange and the compression ring. The locking ring compresses the compression ring against the hull by way of several screws whose ends abut the surface of the compression ring.
It is also an object of this invention that the cylindrical light housing may be adjustable so as to adapt to slight angle variations of the thru-hull sides with respect to the actual thru-hull opening on the exterior surface of the hull. Many thru-hull configurations use a ball and socket type of joint in order to allow the light housing angle to be adjusted. In the present invention, the screws which are threaded through the locking ring that serve to secure the compression ring against the interior surface of the hull may be threaded individually at different heights thereby tilting the compression ring at various angles in order to accommodate the thru-hull shape.
It is also an object of this invention that the light bulb or camera means may be pivoted at different angles in situ after the initial installation without having to dislodge and safely reinstall the housing at a different angle while the light or camera is still on. In the present invention, a reflector holder that surrounds the light bulb may be pivoted within the housing by a threaded ball screw attached to the distal end of the reflector holder which is adjustable at the distal end of the main body from the interior of the thru-hull. The reflector holder rotates within a Teflon split front cup at the interior side of the lens as the threaded ball screw is tilted.